The decision to make an area east of Chicago the domicile for the Velocities Multi-Vendor Consolidation (MVC) program has been validated again, as Hanson Logistics announced the Phase 3 expansion of its temperature-controlled Chicago Consolidation Center in Hobart IN.
This third expansion in five years reflects the rising momentum of Hanson’s Velocities MVC program, a solution to the on-demand complexity of filling multiple-SKU frozen food orders shipping to major retail, wholesale, and foodservice distribution centers throughout the United States. Construction of the project will be handled by Fort Wayne IN-based Tippmann Construction.
“It was a new business model in an unproven location,” said Andrew Janson, president of Hanson Logistics, referring to the company’s 2007 decision to build a new consolidation center on the unorthodox east side of Chicago. “We were—pardon the pun—breaking new ground in terms of both traditional refrigerated warehousing service and predictable warehouse location. There are many Hanson associates to thank for their ‘Yes, We Can!’ commitment in making this vision a reality.”
This 100,000-square-foot expansion, slated for completion in third quarter 2013, will feature energy-saving LED lighting, 12,000 new pallet positions, and 14 ‘in-swing dock doors’. The receiving dock allows trailer doors to be opened from inside the facility, reducing loading times and energy loss, and increasing food security. The Chicago Consolidation Center will increase to 11,000,000 cubic feet, virtually all of which is devoted to high-volume throughput, including flexible racking for quick-pick consolidation and cross-docking of temperature-controlled food products.
The Hanson Transportation Management Services and refrigerated truck fleet operates from the facility, and provides inbound shuttle service and nationwide truckload and less-than-truckload service. The Velocities MVC program encompasses Walmart’s Vendor Pool 391, with scheduled vendor-shared truckloads to major retail, wholesale, and foodservice distribution centers throughout the United States.
Located adjacent to the Interstate 80, I-94, and I-65 interchange in northwest Indiana, the Chicago Consolidation Center offers a combination of location, business climate, and robust infrastructure. Velocities has become the ‘go-to’ consolidation program in the greater Midwest for mid-tier food manufacturers that are unable by their order mix to achieve the economies of truckload delivery.
Visit www.hansonlogistics.com for further details.
